Coalition hails outcome of APC convention, urges consensus presidential candidate

By Chinelo Obogo, Lagos

A political pressure group, Coalition for Democracy and Sustainable Development (CDSD), has commended the outcome of last week’s national convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC), stating that the sense of purpose, unity and solidarity displayed demonstrated the believe in the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari.

This coalition said a similar rancour-free consensus template used at the convention should be adopted for the emergence of the APC presidential candidate, adding that President Buhari should be given the honour of directing a consensus arrangement to produce the party’s flagbearer.

In a statement issued and signed by its national coordinator, Ganzallo Kolawole, on Thursday, the CDSD said it believes that the President Buhari administration must be succeeded by one headed by a government that understood clearly the policies that the outgoing government pursued.

The statement reads:

‘We wish to formally congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari, leaders and stakeholders within the All Progressives Congress, for the success of the recently concluded National convention of the party.

‘We are delighted by the sense of purpose, unity and solidarity, displayed in supporting the wise counsel of President Buhari in the choice of members, of the newly elected National Working Committee NWC. It further demonstrates the belief of Nigerians, in the leadership of President Buhari.

‘More importantly, one of the reasons for which an outgoing Government should be succeeded by a government headed by a person with working knowledge of the governance template that the outgoing pursued is the fact it encourages adherence to a proven governance template and allows for maturation of ideas and achievements of the results for which the template was adopted.

‘This person, whether in or out of government, must be a seasoned politician and knowledgeable administrator with working knowledge of the dynamics that the Buhari administration encountered while governing the country.

“This person must also be a person with a deep understanding of the implications and justifications for the nature of policies that the Buhari administration pursued, to be able to easily navigate through implementation and preservation of the core ideas.’

Explaining how the successor should emerge, the coalition said: ‘While we understand that the APC has internal mechanisms to produce candidates through laid-down party processes, we also understand that processes are subject to human interpretations and must be adapted to varying circumstances and situational dynamics.

‘It is on this premise that we express our belief that Pres. Muhammadu Buhari should be given the honour of directing a consensus arrangement that produces his successor.

‘Directing in this sense will mean interacting with all interest groups to make clear the kind and identity of successor he prefers for the preservation of the ideals of his government and ensuring that all hands are placed on deck to deliver support to such a person.

‘In clearer terms, we are saying the APC must give President Buhari the privilege and honour of naming his successor candidate for the APC, having earned the respect of all members and stakeholders of the party.

‘We strongly believe that the President has capacity to assess every person who has approached him or not, to declare their Presidential ambitions and decide, based on his assessment and available reports, the person who is best fit to take the mantle of power from him,’ the statement said.

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